Chairman Ben Bernanke faced-off with Representative Ron Paul during his monetary policy report to Congress on Wednesday. The head of the Fed responded to accusations of enriching already rich corporations while failing to help Main Street, while he was pushed on his views on gold. âGold isnât money,â Bernanke said.

While most of Bernankeâs reports to Congress serve politicians to pursue their own agendas by gearing the Chairman towards their issues, with Republican Rep. Bacchus talking of the unsustainability of Medicaid and Rep. Frank (D, Mass.) asking about the need to raise the debt limit without cutting spending, it was a stand-off between Bernanke and Ron Paul that took all the attention.

Rep. Ron Paul, Republican for Texas, asked Bernanke why a capital injection of more than $5 trillion âhasnât done muchâ to help the consumer, who makes up about two-thirds of GDP in the U.S., and prop up the economy, while it helped boost corporate profits. âYou couldâve given $17,000 to each citizen,â Ron Paul said.

Bernanke, clearly on the defensive, told Rep. Ron Paul that his institution hadnât spent a single dollar, rather, the Fed has been a âprofit centerâ according to the Chairman, returning profits to the federal government. As Bernanke began some sort of history lesson about the Fed (âwe are here to provide liquidity [in abnormal situations],â the Chairman said), he was interrupted.

âWhen you wake up in the morning, do you think about the price of gold,â Rep. Paul asked. After pausing for a second, Bernanke responded, clearly uncomfortable that he paid much attention to the price of gold, only to be interrupted once again.

âGoldâs at about $1,580 [an ounce] this morning, what do you think of the price of gold?â asked Rep. Paul. A stern-faced Bernanke responded people bought it for protection and was once again cut-off, with Ron Paul continuing to provide teaching lessons to FED's chairman.

âIs gold money?â he asked. Clearly bothered, Bernanke told the representative âno, gold is not money, itâs an asset. Treasuries are an asset, people hold them, but I donât think of them as money,â said Bernanke.

Rep. Ron Paul again jumped in, noting the long history of gold being used as money, and then asked Bernanke why people didnât hold diamonds, clearly hinting at his fiat money criticism of the U.S. monetary system. The Fed Chairman told Rep. Paul it was nothing more than tradition, and, as he was attempting to develop his argument, Rep. Ron Paul quickly asked the acting authority of the House of Representativeâs Committee on Financial Services, Rep. Bacchus, to excuse him for exceeding his time, as he returned the floor to the Committee.